The delights of June

5:19 PM,
Jun. 20, 2013

Written by

Pat Smith
For the Advocate

In June, we enjoy the products of two of our favorite plant "cousins." Strawberries and roses both are members of the Rosaceae family and in this area are most abundant in June. Local berries are at their peak now. But the strawberry is not truly a berry.

Fragaria ananssa, the cultivated strawberry, has unusual enough reproduction habits to be called a "false fruit" by some. In most cases, the fruit we enjoy eating is the fleshy wall of the plant's ovary which has thickened up to support the seed contained inside when it begins to grow. In the case of the strawberry, the little seeds that we see on the ...